The 50th Anniversary of the Occupation of Wounded Knee: Part 1

American Indian Airwaves

2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Occupation of Wounded Knee which is the outcome of over 200 members of the American Indian Movement and supporters occupying Wounded Knee, Lakota Nation (South Dakota) for 71 days from February 27th, 1973, to May 8th, 1973. The Occupation of Wounded Knee was in response to a call to action for help from traditional Lakota residents whose civil, human, and Treaty of Fort Laramie rights were constantly being violated by corrupt Native American and United States government officials. The Wounded Knee Occupation resulted in a 71-day military standoff with U.S. government officials – the largest military attack in United States history, and quickly drew domestic and international support from people, organizations, and foreign governments throughout the world. Today’s guest was a rookie NPR reporter on his first assignment, covering the entire occupation of Wounded Knee in the Lakota Nation (South Dakota) in 1973. Under a United States government media blackout prohibiting journalists to enter Wounded Knee, our guest managed to enter Wounded Knee where he spent the entire 71 days interviewing Native American activists, participating in community gatherings, and documenting what happened inside of Wounded Knee as well as recording the corrupt and militarized actions of the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) and other government agencies actions. Join us today on American Indian Airwaves for the 50th Anniversary of the Occupation of Wounded Knee to hear Kevin McKiernan’s personal accounts and experiences during the 71-day military standoff between members of the American Indian Movement and Native American activists and the United States government, plus more. Guest: Kevin McKiernan, director of New Customer From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock: A Reporter's Journey (2019). Archived programs can be heard on Soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/burntswamp American Indian Airwaves streams on over ten podcasting platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Audible, Backtracks.fm, Gaana, Google Podcast, Fyyd, iHeart Media, Player.fm, Podbay.fm, Podcast Republic, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Tunein, YouTube, and more. American Indian Airwaves is an all-volunteer collective and Native American public affairs program that broadcast weekly on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles, CA, Thursdays, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.